Red Sox Face Uncertainty with 5-Foot-6 Bregman Replacement

Caleb Durbin takes over at third base after Boston traded away Alex Bregman

Published on Mar. 8, 2026

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The Boston Red Sox made several notable offseason moves, including trading away star third baseman Alex Bregman. To replace Bregman, the team is turning to 5-foot-6 infielder Caleb Durbin, who had a solid rookie season in 2025 but faces big expectations in taking over at the hot corner.

Why it matters

Bregman was a core member of the Red Sox lineup and a key part of Team USA's World Baseball Classic roster. Replacing his production and leadership will be a major challenge for the 26-year-old Durbin, who is still relatively unproven at the MLB level.

The details

Durbin had a 2.8 bWAR season across 136 games for the Brewers in 2025, hitting .256 with 11 home runs, 53 RBIs, and 18 stolen bases. However, his numbers pale in comparison to Bregman's 3.5 bWAR, .273 batting average, and .821 OPS from last year. The Red Sox will be counting on Durbin to improve upon or at least repeat his rookie performance to help offset the loss of Bregman.

  • Durbin made his MLB debut in 2025.

The players

Caleb Durbin

A 26-year-old infielder who is taking over as the Red Sox's starting third baseman after the team traded away Alex Bregman.

Alex Bregman

An All-Star third baseman and core member of Team USA's World Baseball Classic roster, who was traded away by the Red Sox this offseason.

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What they’re saying

“But if Durbin struggles at the hot corner after Boston lost Alex Bregman and whiffed on (or didn't even swing at) many of the options in free agency, fingers crossed on Nate Eaton or Isiah Kiner-Falefa? Third base may well be their Achilles' heel.”

— Kerry Miller, Bleacher Report Writer (Bleacher Report)

The takeaway

The Red Sox are taking a big risk by handing the starting third base job to the unproven Caleb Durbin after trading away the reliable Alex Bregman. Durbin will need to prove he can build on his solid rookie season and provide consistent production at the hot corner to help the Red Sox overcome the loss of Bregman.